If this is your first visit, be sure to
check out the FAQ by clicking the
link above. You may have to register
before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages,
select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.

Singapore shuttlers can be world class

South Korean Yoo Yong Sung's command of the English language may be basic, but there was one point during his interview with The New Paper on Thursday that was crystal clear.

Clutching his heart, the new Singapore Badminton Association (SBA) technical adviser spoke of his heartache of twice missing out on the Olympic men's doubles gold.
Said the 39-year-old, who won the silver at the 2000 and 2004 Olympics: "I first played in the 1996 Olympics but was knocked out in the early stages. Then I won the silver in the next two, and was too old to continue as a player after that.

"Now as a coach, I want to focus on helping Singapore players win an Olympic gold medal one day."

According to the 39-year-old, who was once coaching the South Korean national team, the calibre of Republic's shuttlers is not that far away from world-class standards.

He said: "Singapore's players are at about 70 per cent (of world-class standards); to be a good doubles player you have to have power and control of the court. The players here have the power, but they lack the physical conditioning and the control of the court."

Yoo was recruited by the national sports association about a month ago, following former national doubles coach Eng Hian's departure late last year.

Yoo said: "As a player, I had been here to play in the Singapore Open for about eight to 10 times in the past and I found the country very clean.
"I discussed with my wife and we wanted to come here because the education system here is good and we want our children to learn Chinese as well."

Another foreigner set to replace Eng Hian as national doubles coach

THE Singapore Badminton Association (SBA) will welcome the new year with a new national doubles coach, with the departure of Olympic bronze medallist Eng Hian.

The Indonesian has returned to Jakarta, where he will open a badminton academy, said SBA chief executive officer Bobby Lee.

Lee said: "He indicated to us several months ago his intention to leave and we have advertised his position since then."

The national sports association interviewed several candidates this month and made an offer to one. Lee hopes to seal the deal by the middle of next month.

Foreign target

Lee declined to reveal the identity or nationality of the potential national doubles coach, which The New Paper understands would be a foreigner of Asian descent.

SBA senior technical manager Chua Yong Joo, formerly a doubles coach with the association, will take over Eng Hian's duties till the appointment of the new coach, with no other changes to the national coaching structure.

The shuttlers will start the new year by competing in the Korea and Malaysia Opens next month, with major tournaments such as the Sudirman Cup in Kuala Lumpur in May and the South-east Asia Games in Myanmar in December on the horizon.

Eng Hian, 35, won the men's doubles bronze at the 2004 Athens Olympics and was recruited by the SBA in 2007 as the then-Project 0812 doubles specialist coach.

He guided Shinta Mulia Sari and Yao Lei to the women's doubles silver at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in India, with Yao Lei and Chayut Triyachart taking the mixed doubles silver.

Shinta and Yao Lei also clinched the Li-Ning Singapore Open women's doubles title in 2010, the first time a local had won a title at the tournament.

Singapore's top women's pair, ranked 13th in the world, crashed out of the group stages at the London Olympics this year.

SINGAPORE - When Singapore's four representatives took to the court at the All England badminton championships in Birmingham on Wednesday, they did so without a coach by their side for the first time in an overseas competition.

The Singapore Badminton Association (SBA) did not include the annual tournament - badminton's oldest and one of its most prestigious - in its competition plans for the year and decided against sending coaches to accompany the players.

Singles players Derek Wong and Gu Juan and mixed doubles pair Danny Bawa Chrisnanta and Vanessa Neo dipped into their own funds from the SBA's Adopt-A-Player scheme to make the trip to Birmingham.

They also competed in last week's German Open.

Under the scheme, players get about $10,000 a year which they can use to take part in tournaments that are not part of the SBA's yearly competitions plan.

Said SBA chief executive officer Bobby Lee: "The All England is prestigious, but it might be better for players to spend time training than to send them out just for the sake of prestige. They might not gain anything out of it."

He noted that, after sending the shuttlers to as many as 15 tournaments last year ahead of the London Olympics, there was a need to keep a check on expenditure this year.

The number of competitions this year is expected to be trimmed to 11, including at least three Superseries Premier events like the All England.

"We can't send players to all the competitions all over the world because we don't have the funds for that," said Lee.

"We probably would have sent a coach with them (to the All England) if we felt they could make the quarter-finals. But there needs to be a cost-benefit analysis and that's the brutal truth."

Gu, 22, made the All England women's singles quarter-finals in 2011, which remains the best achievement by a Singaporean at the event since Zarinah Abdullah reached the same stage in 1994.

It is understood that the SBA gets about $250,000 a year from the Singapore Sports Council to fund the cost of sending shuttlers to competitions, half of what the association eventually uses.

The rest of its annual grant - the SBA gets more than $1.5 million a year - goes to paying salaries and staging events such as age-group tournaments.

Having a coach by one's side helps because a player would have someone who can analyse the match, said former national shuttler Ronald Susilo.

Neo and Chrisnanta rue missed chance

They were looking good for the Round of 16 in the mixed doubles at the All-England Championships on Wednesday when they took on Indonesia's world No. 7 pair Muhammad Rijal and Debby Susanto.

However, after taking the opening set and racing to an 11-8 lead in the second, at the National Indoor Arena in Birmingham, things went downhill for Singapore's newly-minted world No. 9 pair of Danny Bawa Chrisnanta and Vanessa Neo.

Perhaps sensing the finishing line, errors began to creep into their performance. The Indonesians got back into the tie in a close second set and eventually prevailed 13-21, 21-17, 21-14.

Speaking to The New Paper after the match, Neo could not contain her disappointment.
"It feels damn wasted and very disappointing because I feel, among all the seeds, this was the best draw we could get," said 25-year-old.

"We didn't grab the opportunity."

Her partner was equally-disappointed and he shouldered the blame.

"In the second and third game, they played more steadily," said 25-year-old Chrisnanta.

"I felt I made a lot of mistakes and my confidence dropped a bit."

Due to the Singapore Badminton Association's planned schedule, the Singapore team of Chrisnanta and Neo, men's singles shuttler Derek Wong and women's singles player Gu Juan, travelled to England without coaches.

Gu Juan, the Republic's final hope, lost a closely-contested singles match to Thailand's world No. 11 Porntip Buranaprasertsuk 25-23, 21-18.

While the shuttlers made the trip on their own initiative, Neo felt extra guidance could have made a difference.

She said: "A coach would have been able to talk to us at some points ... if there's only the two of us, if one panics, the other will also panic."

Neo, though, enjoyed the atmosphere in the West Midlands and said the opportunity to take on stronger opponents would add to her experience.

"It's the All-England, so it's definitely an honour to play here," said Neo.

"It's a learning experience because we've never played the Indonesian pair before, so hopefully next time we meet them, we will be able to beat them.

"It was good sparring because we have very few sparring sessions in Singapore and if we do, we always play among ourselves.

"To be able to play against the higher seeds and better players, we sort of know what we have to improve on and better our game."

In the biggest upset of the tournament so far, Li Xuerui, the Olympic and the defending All-England champion, suffered a stunning defeat when she lost in the first round.

Li, widely regarded as the sport's outstanding female player after her triumph at the London Games seven months ago, went down 21-18, 21-18 to Bae Yeon Ju, the world No. 13 from South Korea.

National badminton mixed doubles pair Danny Bawa Chrisnanta and Vanessa Neo are currently ranked ninth in the world, thanks to a fine run of quarter-final appearances at Super Series-level events.

But he had a fallout with the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) last May and quit in a huff. BAM have since hired Indonesian Paulus Firman as doubles coach.

And Yong-sung is now working wonders for Singapore.

Yesterday, Singapores top men’s pair – world No. 61 Terry Yeo-Liu Yi — defied the odds when they came back from a game down to stun world No. 12 VladimirIvanov-Ivan Sozonov of Russia, playing for the Europe All Stars team.

Terry-Liu Yi won 17-21, 21-16, 21-19 in the fourth match of the tie, which proved to be the winning point for Singapore who overcame the Europeans 3-1.

And Terry immediately credited Yong-sung’s coaching for their excellent display.

“We’ve definitely improved a lot with the new coach and we now enter a match feeling more confident,” said Terry.

“I never really thought that we’ll be able to defeat the Russians because we only went into the match with the mindset of trying to do well. It’s realy a good result.

“This is just our first tournament of the year as we’ve been training hard for the past month under the new coach and it is nice to see some results.

“I believe the Axiata Cup has given us an opportunity to shine and we’re really looking forward to our next match,” added Terry.

Shake-up in Singapore's women's doubles team

The pairing of Yao Lei and Shinta Mulia Sari has been temporarily dissolved as the Singapore Badminton Association aims to bring the sport to a higher level.

POSTED: 02 May 2013 11:25 PM

SINGAPORE: The pairing of Yao Lei and Shinta Mulia Sari has been temporarily dissolved as the Singapore Badminton Association (SBA) aims to bring the sport to a higher level.

The successful duo is ranked 15th in the world.

Yao and Shinta won silver medals during the 2009 SEA Games and 2010 Commonwealth Games.

The pair also won the 2010 Li-Ning Singapore Open.

SBA's chief executive officer, Bobby Lee said they are exploring the possibility of pairing one of the players with 2011 SEA Games gold medallist Fu Mingtian.

He said: “We felt that Yao Lei and Shinta perhaps have reached a plateau. A lot of the players already know their playing style, so we want to try something else.
"We brought back Mingtian to join the doubles team and we want to see whether between Mingtian, Vanessa, Yao Lei and Shinta, our four best doubles players, how they are going to team up to bring Singapore doubles to the next level.”

Singapore Open may see change in dates

The Straits Times

Monday, May 06, 2013

SINGAPORE - The Li-Ning Singapore Open may be played in April instead of its traditional June dates from next year.

The marquee badminton event will take place at the Singapore Indoor Stadium from June 18 to 23 this year, but the competition is scheduled for April 8 to 13 next year on the Badminton World Federation's (BWF) calendar.

When contacted, Singapore Badminton Association (SBA) chief executive officer Bobby Lee said: "The dates are not confirmed yet as we have not signed the contract with the BWF."

Added SBA secretary general Michael Foo (right): "We want to do some tweaking of the dates and try to get the best dates for Singapore."

It is understood that the move was mooted by the BWF at the start of the year, ahead of the next cycle of the Osim BWF World Superseries tournaments from next year to 2017.

Last September, Singapore put in a bid to host the higher- tier Superseries Premier tournament - which boasts of higher prize money and ranking points, and is mandatory for all top 10 singles and doubles players.

While they failed in their bid - China, Denmark, England, Malaysia and Indonesia got the nod - Singapore retained its Superseries status for the next four years.

Superseries and Superseries Premier events in the same region are typically "paired" to maximise players' trips to different parts of the world.

The Singapore Open is currently paired with the highertier Indonesia Open, with the possibility of marquee players such as world No. 1 Lee Chong Wei and Chinese world No. 2 Chen Long considering a detour to the Republic en route to the compulsory Indonesia Open.

Said Mohan Dharan, Li-Ning Singapore Open's tournament director: "For now we are paired with Indonesia and not all the top players who have to go there will win.

"Since they have travelled to Indonesia, they may consider coming to Singapore to win some prize money, since (top players) Lee Chong Wei or Chen Long may not come."

However, the Republic will be paired with the India Open - another Superseries tournament - next year, raising the possibility that marquee players may skip both tournaments altogether.

S'pore shuttler will not defend SEA Games singles title

By Lim Say Heng

The New Paper
Monday, May 06, 2013

SINGAPORE - She created a slice of local sporting history at the 2011 South-east Asia (SEA) Games when she won the Republic's first-ever badminton women's singles gold.
But shuttler Fu Mingtian will not defend her crown at the Games this December in Myanmar.

The reigning Sportswoman of the Year has converted to a doubles player since late February and most recently competed in the Malaysia Grand Prix Gold, where she and Shinta Mulia Sari lost to Malaysian third seeds Goh Liu Ying and Lim Yin Loo 21-15, 21-17 in the quarter-finals on Thursday.

Said Fu, who will turn 23 next month: "After the 2011 SEA Games, I felt that I have plateaued in the singles and didn't play well last year, which affected my confidence. I've always thought doubles is more fun and made the decision after consulting the coaches and officials.

"While it would have been nice to defend my SEA Games title, I will still try my best to qualify (for the doubles) and do well at the Games this year."

Odd number

Singapore Badminton Association (SBA) chief executive officer Bobby Lee added: "On the SBA side, we've always had a problem with our doubles team because we have an odd number of players.

"Since Mingtian was also an ex-world junior doubles champion, we thought of bringing her back to that, and coincidentally, we have a new coach who is willing to try out new partnerships."

Lee is referring to South Korean Yoo Yong Sung, who was brought in by the national sports association in January this year to replace Eng Hian, who had returned to Indonesia the month before.

Fu will compete at the Li-Ning Singapore Open next month as a doubles player, although her playing partner has not been fixed.

Former junior doubles world champion Fu Mingtian's switch to doubles could spell trouble for her rivals at the upcoming SEA Games.

Gu: I'm getting closer to first title

By David Lee

The New Paper
Tuesday, May 07, 2013

So near yet so far.

Singapore's top-ranked female shuttler Gu Juan came up short in her quest to win a major title when she lost in a tight three-set women's singles final at the Malaysia Open Grand Prix Gold yesterday. (Actually on Sat May 04, 2013)

The 22-year-old fifth seed pushed top seed and world No. 13 P V Sindhu from India to the limit in Kuala Lumpur before losing 17-21, 21-17, 19-21.

Despite the setback, Gu is confident that it won't be long before she wins her first senior title.

She told The New Paper: "Of course, I will feel disappointed to lose in a final, but overall, I'm pleased with my performance."

"I feel that my fitness levels have improved and, if I can still work on that and my mental strength, I believe I'm close to winning my first tournament."

Yesterday's final was the fourth time in five matches at the US$120,000 ($148,000) BWF Grand Prix Gold event - a third-tier tournament behind Super Series Premier and Super Series - that the world No. 27 has been taken to three sets.

Gu: I'm getting closer to first title ...2

Singapore's top-ranked female shuttler Gu Juan came up short in her quest to win a major title when she lost in a tight threeset women's singles final at the Malaysia Open Grand Prix Gold on Saturday.

The 22-year-old fifth seed pushed top seed and world No. 13 P V Sindhu from India to the limit in Kuala Lumpur before losing 17-21, 21-17, 19-21.

Despite the setback, Gu is confident that it won't be long before she wins her first senior title.

She told The New Paper: "Of course, I will feel disappointed to lose in a final, but overall, I'm pleased with my performance.

"I feel that my fitness levels have improved and, if I can still work on that and my mental strength, I believe I'm close to winning my first tournament."

Saturday's final was the fourth time in five matches at the US$120,000 ($148,000) BWF Grand Prix Gold event - a third-tier tournament behind Super Series Premier and Super Series - that the world No. 27 has been taken to three sets.

National Mixed Doubles shuttlers, Vanessa Neo and Danny Bawa Chrisnanta at the Celebration of 10 Years of Success. Fuji Xerox Printer Channel have become the latest corporation to join the Singapore Badminton Association's (SBA) Adopt A Player scheme, adopting the Republic's top mixed doubles pair. -- BH PHOTO: TUKIMAN WARJI

By May Chen

Fuji Xerox Printer Channel have become the latest corporation to join the Singapore Badminton Association's (SBA) Adopt A Player scheme, adopting the Republic's top mixed doubles pair Danny Bawa Chrisnanta and Vanessa Neo.

The Japan-based company presented a $35,000 sponsorship to SBA's chief executive officer Bobby Lee on Tuesday.

Other than supporting the world No. 11 duo, the remainder of the amount will go into supporting the inaugural Corporate League that the SBA is organising this year.

Said Vincent Sim, general manager of Fuji Xerox Printer Channel (Asean): "(We) would like to strengthen our commitment to our local community by partnering SBA.

The 25-year-old might be vying for honours in two categories, in both the women's and mixed doubles categories.

Neo and her mixed doubles partner Danny Bawa Chrisnanta got a boost ahead of their 2016 Olympic campaign - a S$20,000, two-year sponsorship from Fuji Xerox, under the Adopt-a-Player scheme.

There are big hopes for the former Raffles Girls' School student, who quit junior college to concentrate on the game.

Bobby Lee, CEO of Singapore Badminton Association, said:"In the last two tournaments, Vanessa partnered Yao Lei in the doubles, in the last tournament at the Malaysian GP Gold, they reached all the way to the semi-finals. This is only their second competition together, so we are actually quite happy with their performance. We hope they will continue from there and see where we can go with this new doubles partnership."
For now, Yao's former partner Shinta Mulia Sari will team up with Fu Mingtian.The Singapore Badminton Association thinks that the Yao-Shinta partnership had plateaued in 2011.

The new partnership will be a final shot at Olympic excellence for Neo, who narrowly missed the London Games.

Currently ranked 11th in the mixed doubles, she is looking at improving in both categories.

She said: “I have been playing mixed doubles for the past three years. Definitely I am more comfortable playing mixed doubles, but no preference actually. I will do my best in whatever they pair me up with."

The Singapore Open in June and the SEA Games in December are among the competitions being lined up for the new doubles pairings.

New local pairs set for big test

Singapore Badminton Association's technical director Yoo Yong Sung has been experimenting with new doubles partnerships for the national team. He had previously coached the South Korean national team.

By Lim Say Heng
The New Paper
Sunday, May 19, 2013

Since his appointment in January, Singapore Badminton Association technical director (doubles) Yoo Yong Sung has been experimenting with new doubles partnerships in the national team.

After about four months of training and playing in smaller-scale tournaments, the new-look national team will face their toughest test, yet, at the Li-Ning Singapore Open at the Indoor Stadium from June 18 to 23.

Among the new pairings are the women's doubles tandem of Fu Mingtian and Shinta Mulia Sari, and Vanessa Neo and Yao Lei.

The New Paper reported earlier this month that Fu, who turns 23 on June 27, will not defend her Southeast Asia (SEA) Games women's singles title in December in Myanmar after switching to doubles.

She partnered Shinta, who played at the London Olympics last year with Yao Lei, at the National Championships and at the Malaysia Grand Prix Gold last month.

Fu, the reigning Sportswoman of the Year, will partner Terry Hee in the mixed doubles.
She said: "Having partnered both Terry and Shinta before, our chemistry has definitely improved after the previous tournaments.

"I'm looking forward to putting on a good performance at our home ground and hope that our fans can come down to support us."

Neo, 25, will continue her mixed doubles partnership with Danny Bawa Chrisnanta, but will forge a new women's doubles team with Yao Lei.